North America

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, home seclusion lasted considerably longer than expected in Canada. When these restrictions were first introduced in 2020, home snacking surged and then remained constant through 2021 and 2022. While hybrid lifestyles…

The momentum regarding the general health and wellness trend preceded even COVID-19, as local consumers searched for ways to prioritise their wellbeing through soft drinks. As the pandemic substantially impacted the lives of consumers, interest in…

2022 observed a shift back to foodservice volumes rather than retail within Canadian staple foods. As Canadians returned to the workplace and restrictions lifted, consumers started to once again spend time participating in activities outside of the…

Technological advances in 2024 will continue to reshape consumer behaviour. This annual report explores the top five digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in this report’s edition…

Industry stakeholders are increasingly debating between sustainability and technology leadership strategies in the appliances market. As margins continue to shrink, leadership in either category is critical to maintain continued competitiveness. In…

Global growth is set to slow in 2024 as a result of high cost pressures for businesses and consumers, especially high interest rates. Asia Pacific will continue to stand out as the main global growth region while advanced economies decelerate.…

In 2022, packaging in Canada was consumer-centric, with their lifestyles and demands shaping the packaging industry. Sustainability was the key concern driving packaging innovation in Canada in 2022. The Canadian government released its Single-Use…

This briefing examines how the commodity market for beef is performing globally and in the largest countries in terms of supply and consumption. The report also provides data and analysis of beef price dynamics, and key meat consuming industries.

In 2022, the US saw a significant rise in the demand for convenient packaging solutions, reflecting evolving consumer lifestyles and preferences. This trend was catalysed by a multitude of factors, including the busy, on-the-go nature of modern life.…

2023 represented the first full year of a post-pandemic world for most people in the US, and the return to somewhat normal life helped to drive recovery for categories within cafés/bars that had struggled during the peak pandemic years. In…

The sale of food through drive-through has continued to grow, and in 2023 remained elevated above the pre-pandemic level. The growth of drive-through ordering was fuelled by the desire to avoid human interaction during the pandemic, but has stuck as…

After three years of having at least a period of time in the year when COVID-19-related restrictions affected restaurant visits, many operators looked forward to 2023 as the first year of a return to normalcy. High inflation and its reverberating…

While inflation affected customer traffic across consumer foodservice categories, full-service restaurants saw a stronger decline in traffic, as some consumers traded down to fast casual and fast food. While growth after the COVID-19 decline helped…

2022 and 2023 saw some of the highest rates of inflation that the US had experienced in years. As ingredients costs increased, and a tight labour market pushed labour costs higher, brands across limited-service restaurants increased menu prices to…

The major storyline for self-service cafeterias in the US in 2023 was its continued rebound as pandemic-era health restrictions receded. Self-service cafeterias was particularly hard-hit in the depths of the pandemic, due to logistical concerns about…

The federal beverage alcohol duty was set to increase by 6.3% on March 2023, which would have forced some bars and restaurants out of business. However, the federal government decided to cap the increase at 2% on April 2023, which will stay in place…

The travel and tourism industry has shown a strong recovery across 2021 and 2022 and in 2023, it was very close to reaching pre-pandemic value sales levels. As such, consumer food service through travel was the best-performing non-stand-alone…

The foodservice industry continued to show strong sales growth in 2023. However, much of this growth was driven by inflation, with operators, labour, rent and food costs having significantly increased. As such, the main driver of value sales in 2023…

With full-service restaurant being a competitive landscape, remaining top of mind among customers is increasingly important. In addition to traditional communication channels, marketing approaches include connecting to consumers through chatbots on…

Rising operating expenses, such as wages, energy, delivery, insurance and rent, partnered with lower consumer demand to reduce restaurants' profitability in 2023. In addition, restaurants have increased levels of debt to continue operating, which,…